


Toward Completion

by randomthimble



Category: The X-Files
Genre: AU, F/F, Family Fluff, Occasional angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-09-13 13:16:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9125377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomthimble/pseuds/randomthimble
Summary: A series of one-shots focusing on Scully and Reyes, their relationship with each other, and the relationships they have with their children as they raise them. In this AU, both Emily and Melissa are still alive.





	1. Home is Where the Heart Is

**Author's Note:**

> Author Notes: This is a series of one-shots focusing on Scully, Reyes, and their little family, a headcanon that I've had for some time. The one-shots are not in chronological order because I think it allows for some flexibility in writing and building this universe. The time range is from when Emily is introduced, onward. Also, chapters will vary in length.

It had been a long day, finishing up the case, and then flying, so Monica was glad the cab driver didn’t seem to be particularly chatty. Not that she minded having conversations with cab drivers, it was just that sometimes, after a long day, making small talk was the last thing she wanted to do. She had been gone a week and just wanted to get home. Dana had offered to pick her up from the airport when she arrived, but she’d told Dana she would catch a cab home. No need to have her out late with the kids in tow.  
  
The cab pulled up to her house, and after she tipped the driver she got her luggage and walked to the front door. Halfway to there she realized she’d been walking through rock salt. She’d seen on the weather that there was a small chance of snow overnight, though the likelihood must have increased if Dana decided to salt the walkway. Monica hated rock salt. Always ruining the soles of her boots, and she thought it was terrible for the environment. Not having spent her youth and early adulthood where it was cold enough to snow regularly, she was still not quite accustomed to the reality of life with the salt.  
  
She wiped off as much of it as she could on the doormat before she entered the foyer of the house. Hanging her leather jacket on a hook, dropping her keys on the side table, and leaving her shoes and luggage by the door, she entered the living room to find Dana nestled in a corner of the couch, wrapped in a blanket, reading. No surprise there.  
  
Dana closed her book and placed it aside with a smile. “Hey.”  
  
“Hey, love.” Monica walked over, giving Dana a kiss before she sat down next to her.  
  
“How was your flight?”  
  
“Not too bad. Until the guy next to me started snoring, that is.”  
  
Dana gave her a look of sympathy, running her hand through Monica’s hair. “Ooh. I’m sorry.”  
  
“Yeah. They were even louder than the snores of someone who shall remain nameless.” Monica gave Dana a knowing look and a sideways grin.  
  
Dana raised her right eyebrow, pulling back her hand. “I do not snore.”  
  
Monica smirks. “Uh huh.”  
  
“And to think, I was going to ask if you wanted some of the cookies we made this evening that I kept warm. Clearly you are more interested in making false accusations that -”  
  
“What I meant to say,” Monica interjected “is they were louder than the cute little snores of someone who shall remain nameless, little snores which occur rarely, only happen when said person is overly tired, thus making them all the more endearing.”  
  
Dana arched her eyebrow even higher, but was visibly fighting a losing battle against the smile trying to break out. “Mmhmm.”  
  
Monica gave her another quick kiss. When she pulled away Dana stood up and offered her hand to Monica. She fixed her with a faux stern look and slipped into her professional tone. “I suppose I can let it slide this time, Agent Reyes.”  
  
Monica took the offered hand and stood. “Thank you, Professor Scully.”  
  
Dana led Monica into the kitchen. She released her hand to open the top of the double oven and pulled out a small plate wrapped in foil. Dana removed the foil to reveal still warm chocolate chip cookies, and placed the plate on the kitchen island in front of Monica.  
  
“So, did you and the detectives get everything squared away with the case this morning?”  
  
Monica sighed. “For the most part. There’s still some question as to why the murderer went after the last victim. It didn’t quite fit his profile. Though, he might have thought he was on the right track in the eyes of the cult leader, maybe noticing something he felt the leader had overlooked. Hmm…” Furrowing her brow, she picked up a cookie and began eating it. “But I suppose at this point all that matters is that we finally caught him, and he’s unlikely to get out of prison anytime soon, given the previous murders…These are really good cookies, by the way. My compliments to the bakers.”  
  
“Thank you. And I’m glad you all caught him.” As Monica finished the cookie, Dana walked over and wiped the excess chocolate off the side of Monica’s mouth. “Sometimes I think you are in the running for messiest eater in this house. William may have some competition.”  
  
Monica rolls her eyes at Dana and smirks. “Very funny. You know…” She slowly backed a smug-looking Dana into the counter behind the woman and placed her hands on either side of her. “…you’re lucky you’re so cute” she said as she leaned in to kiss Dana. Dana eagerly returned the kiss, giving Monica all the incentive she needed to deepen the kiss. Dana’s hands wandered to Monica’s waist, taking hold, as their kisses grew more fervent. Eventually, in need of air, Dana pulled away to catch her breath, leaning her forehead against Monica’s lowered forehead.  
  
“I missed you.” Dana whispered.  
  
Monica’s gaze softened. “I missed you, too, mi amor. Mi corazón.” She held Dana’s gaze for a moment, mirroring the profound love reflected in Dana’s eyes, then leaned back in and gave Dana a long, heartfelt kiss as her hands moved to Dana’s back. She then stepped closer, placing a leg in-between Dana’s, who gave a soft sigh against Monica’s lips in response. Monica kissed her cheek, along Dana’s jaw, and down to her neck as Dana closed her eyes, her hands making their way up under the hem of Monica’s shirt to feel the skin underneath.  
  
Dana was on the edge of letting herself go to the moment when she heard a light creaking of the stairs in the distance. They really needed to get that fixed, she thought, though at that moment it was probably good it hadn’t been. She opened her eyes to see her daughter walking down the stairs. Monica, noticing Dana’s stilled hands, pulled away from her neck. Dana whispered, “We have company” as she tried to quickly regain her composure. Monica gave her a quick kiss, ran her hand through her own hair, and turned around just in time to see Emily enter the kitchen.  
  
Monica smiled warmly. “Hey, mija.”  
  
Emily grinned wide and ran over to Monica, who bent down to scoop her up into a hug. Emily snuggled her face into Monica’s neck, which caused her voice to be a little muffled when she said “Hi mamá. I missed you. I’m glad you’re home.” She gingerly took hold of the silver hoop pendant of Monica’s necklace, lightly rubbing it between her fingers, a habit she’d taken to whenever Monica held her.  
  
“I missed you, too, Em.” Monica placed a kiss on Emily’s forehead before she set her back down to stand. She loved holding the little girl, but, even though she was a bit small for her age, she was going on 8 years old and, thus, could only hold her for so long.  
  
Emily glanced over at Dana, then looked up at Monica. “I know I’m supposed to be asleep, but I knew you were coming home tonight and I was too excited. Mom said I’d see you when I woke up in the morning but I couldn’t sleep. William is still asleep though.”  
  
Dana stifled a laugh at the obvious truth of the last statement. If William were awake, everyone would know.  
  
Monica gently ran her hand down the back of Emily’s head, smoothing down her hair. “Well, even though you should be in bed, I am very happy to see you.”  
  
“Did you know we made cookies?”  
  
“I did! I actually just ate one. They’re really good.”  
  
Dana just watched the two of them as Emily explained to Monica the specifics of the particular recipe they used. Leave it to Emily to explain the details, point by point. Dana cherished these small moments between the two. It had taken awhile for Emily to warm up to Monica early on, as was Emily’s way. But once she did, she fell in love with Monica. The relationship the two of them had was indeed something special, and Dana was grateful for it.  
  
Noticing Emily yawning for the second time, Monica began winding down their conversation. “I can’t wait to hear more about your adventures from this past week. In the meantime, though, it’s probably time for bed, don’t you think?”  
  
Emily began to yawn again, then smiled, having caught herself in the yawn. “Yeah, I guess so.”  
  
“How about we go upstairs and I’ll put you to bed. I’ll tuck you in.” She reached out her hand to Emily who took it.  
  
“Ok.” She looked over to Dana. “Goodnight, Mom.”  
  
“Goodnight, sweetie.”  
  
Monica led Emily toward the stairs. “And then, after I tuck you in, I’m going to put Mom to bed.”  
  
Emily looked up at Monica. “You are?”  
  
Monica looked over at Dana, seeing the blush that crept up her cheeks, and winked. “Yep.”


	2. Welcome Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scully and Reyes each think back on how they came to buy their house.

Monica had just finished unpacking one of the last boxes in the kitchen. Some were of her things, others were of Dana’s and the kids, and some held brand new items they’d purchased together for the move. She had unwrapped all the new dishes and placed them in the cabinets, along with all the kids’ dishes and cups. She’d actually unwrapped and set up the new, high-end coffee machine the night before, knowing that she and Dana would be borderline useless if they didn’t have their morning coffee. She’d put away the now excessive amount of cutlery they had combined, making a mental note to suggest to Dana that they donate some, as it was unlikely they would need so many pieces. She’d placed the few bottles of wine they had into the new wine fridge they’d splurged on. All in all the kitchen had come together nicely.  
  
There had been a lot of discussion about this kitchen. There had been a lot of discussion about the whole first floor for that matter. When she and Dana decided they were going to buy a place together they were initially undecided on where they would live. Would they try to find a place in Georgetown, where Dana already lived, or would they look outside that neighborhood? Ultimately they decided to look in Georgetown as Dana was partial to the neighborhood, Emily’s school was there, and it was close to the Bureau. While they considered moving into Virginia, given that Dana worked out at Quantico, they both decided they wanted to stay in DC. Plus, Dana reminded Monica that her commute was always in the opposite direction of traffic, so getting to and from Quantico was never really an issue.  
  
Then there was the question of whether they would buy a house or a condo. Georgetown was an expensive and highly sought-after area, so they needed to be flexible. Neither would mind living in a condo, so long as it was larger than Dana’s apartment. Monica, unsurprisingly, was partial to open, loft-style condos, especially compared to the older, historic row houses in Georgetown. Many of the row houses their realtor took them to felt cramped and claustrophobic to her. Dana didn’t quite understand; she rather liked the charm and quaintness of some of the homes, which led to her preference of buying a house instead of a condo. They spent many nights debating, quite heatedly at times, the different options. Monica saw the merits of buying a house, given that, while they had no issue going to parks, they both thought it would be nice to have a small yard (big yards were hard to come by in the dense neighborhood, let alone in their budget). But Monica was less than enthusiastic about the closed-off feel of the row houses.  
  
During the house search it became clear to Dana just how important open spaces and natural light were to Monica, almost to the point of necessity. The floor plans of most of the houses they’d seen didn’t offer much of those things. So, as a compromise, Dana thought it would be in their best interest, upon buying a house, to immediately have renovations done to open up the main floor to create an open floor plan, namely knocking out a few walls and likely redoing a kitchen. The many, sweet kisses she received from Monica let her know she thought it was a good idea.  
  
So, they finally found a house they agreed on, one in the southeast part of Georgetown, purchased it slightly below asking price (thanks to their realtor’s savy), and had it renovated. The renovations (which also included some updates to the upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms) pushed back their move-in by about a month and a half, but Dana thought it was well worth it for the simultaneously awed and content look on Monica’s face when she saw the final product. Monica had been blown away by what the contractor had done, by how open the space felt. She was grateful that Dana was ok forging the quaint, old home charm to have renovations done that made the space, essentially, more contemporary. It was perfect. She couldn’t wait for them all to move in.  
  
Monica’s stomach growled, which pulled her out of her reverie. She knew it was time to take a break from unpacking to have lunch.  
  
Monica walked into the living room and called up the stairs.  
  
“Dana?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“I’m going to go grab us something to eat. Do you have a preference?”  
  
“Nope…Surprise me.”  
  
“Can do.”  
  
Monica grabbed her keys off the side table by the front door and headed out. The trip wouldn’t take her very long, as she knew exactly where she’d go.

* * *

  
Dana heard Monica leave to go get them some lunch. She’d been so wrapped up in her task that she hadn’t realized it was already lunchtime. She’d spent the morning unpacking and setting up the kids’ rooms. While Emily always had her own room, William had been in Dana’s room, with his toys out in the living room. It hadn’t been much of an issue, given he was still less than a year old, but finally giving him his own space (and reclaiming some of her own space) was nice.  
  
She’d set up the basics of Emily’s room first, wanting to make sure everything was in order by the time her mother dropped the kids off the next evening. William could handle not having his room completely set up, so long as some of his toys were accessible. Emily could not (being the “a place for everything and everything in it’s place” type child). Dana had set up her bed, dresser, toy storage, and small desk. After she and Monica told Emily they’d bought the house, Dana took Emily out to buy a few decorative furnishings - a lamp, a small rug of her choosing, some things for her wall; things that would help with the transition. Emily had been ecstatic and couldn’t wait to see them in her new room.  
  
While she unpacked Emily’s books, Dana was reminded of what led her to this moment. A few months prior she’d been getting William ready for bed. The routine was: give William a bath to calm him down, feed him a little, then put him to bed. Then she would read with Emily and tuck her in. One of those nights William had been overly tired and irritable (he was teething) and it had been taking longer than usual to calm him down. She told Emily that she may not get to read to her that night, given how late it had gotten. Monica offered to read to Emily, so long as Emily was ok with it. Emily agreed and ever since then, whenever Monica was over, which was quite often, she read with Emily at bedtime. On those nights Dana would pop into Emily’s room while she and Monica were reading to say goodnight and give her a hug and kiss (along with a sloppy, baby kiss from William) before she went into her room to put William to sleep in his crib.  
  
On one such night, a Friday night, she’d just finished putting William down to sleep and, walking into the hallway, overheard Monica reading to Emily. They’d clearly gotten to an exciting part of her chapter book, as Emily was pleading with Monica to stay up just a little longer to keep reading.  
  
“Please, Monica, just a few more pages?”  
  
“Sweetie, we’ve already read ‘just a few more pages’ and it’s getting late. We’re at the end of the chapter, which happens to be a good place to stop for tonight. It sets up a nice cliffhanger.”  
  
“A cliffhanger?”  
  
“Yes, a place in a story where something big or very exciting happens, and you’re left wondering ‘What’s going to happen next?!’ It makes it something really exciting to look forward to because you know when you get back to the story, you’re going to find out almost immediately what that ‘next thing’ is. It makes it all the more satisfying.”  
  
“Well, this cliffhanger is REALLY exciting. That means we’ll HAVE to read the next chapter tomorrow.”  
  
“Yes, it certainly does.”  
  
There was something about Monica’s statement that struck Dana. The definitiveness of it. The obviousness of the fact that she would be there to read the next chapter to Emily. It could have been read as presumptuous, but in that moment it was anything but. There was no doubt in Emily’s or Monica’s mind that Monica would be there the next day to read the next chapter to Emily. In some ways it seemed like such a small thing, but it was usually those small things that represented something much more profound.  
  
What was so profound in this case was that Monica had fit herself into all of their lives so seamlessly. Dana was committed to Monica, and knew Monica’s commitment to her, to their relationship, was a given at this point; there was no questioning it with the clear devotion Monica had toward her and the love they had for one another. Their bond was in part due to, and simultaneously separate from, the fact that they had been through so much. Furthermore, Monica was just as committed to her children. Not that Dana doubted she would be, but it was one thing to have thought it, and another to have witnessed it, day in and day out. The conversation she overheard between Monica and Emily was just further proof.   
  
She realized that what she really wanted was to have this everyday. She wanted them all under one roof, living together.  
  
Dana made her way to the kitchen to make tea for her and Monica, all the while lost in the realization she’d just had. As a result, she didn’t hear Monica enter the kitchen until right before the woman wrapped her arms around her from behind and placed her chin on Dana’s shoulder.  
“Did Mr. William give you any trouble?”  
  
Dana leaned back into the embrace. “No, he went straight to sleep. I think he was sufficiently tuckered out from laughing so hard at that last game of peek-a-boo. Clearly, having developed object permanence hasn’t stopped the fun.”  
  
Monica laughed lightly. “He’s clearly also developed the ability to continuously seek and find joy in those things that are presumed unremarkable in life.” Monica kissed Dana’s cheek, then released her to grab their mugs of tea and walked into the living room as Dana followed behind her. Monica waited for her to sit down on the couch, handed Dana her mug, then sat down herself so the two were facing each other.  
  
Dana clasped her mug, relishing in the warmth of it, then held it to her lips, gazing at Monica over the rim. Monica returned her gaze and winked, holding her mug to her lips similar to Dana, preparing to sip. After a moment she tilted her head to the side, and with a curious look on her face and a sideways smile asked “What are you thinking?”  
  
Scully didn’t quite have the words to summarize what she was thinking and feeling, as so many things crossed her mind. She wanted to tell Monica she had been thinking about her desire to make this a more permanent situation. She wanted to tell her that she wondered what Monica’s thoughts were on taking that next step to living together, not in the abstract way they’d previously talked about it, but in reality. That the thought of taking that next step frightened her a little, but in a good way, because she loved this woman dearly and knew it would be okay. She wanted to tell Monica that she made her happier than she could express. That she’d found a home in Monica’s love and knew, by the look she saw so often in her eyes, that Monica felt the same about her. But she didn’t have the words to accurately express those feelings. So she placed her mug on the coffee table and then reached over and gently took Monica’s mug from her, placing it on the table as well, not once looking away from Monica’s eyes. She leaned over Monica and gave her a deep, emotion-filled kiss, having chosen to show her what she was feeling instead. Dana showed her through her touch, her caress, her gentle pushing of Monica down to the couch cushions, her lips all over her eventually exposed skin, her gentle carrying of Monica over her edge, over and over again into the night.

* * *

  
Monica had returned from getting food. She’d gone to the Mediterranean place a few blocks away that had great falafel wraps that she and Dana loved. She pulled into the driveway, their driveway, still a little in disbelief that this was her life.  
  
She thought back to when Dana asked her to live with her. She suspected the question was coming, based on the little information-gathering questions Dana had been asking in the days leading up to the question. Dana may have thought she’d been sly, but Monica, ever intuitive, understood what was going on. It may have also been the fact that she had been thinking about it too, about them moving in together. She and Dana had been in a good place regarding their relationship for some time. They complimented each other so well. She loved being with Dana, she absolutely adored her children, and it seemed the feeling was mutual. Coupled with the fact that she spent so much time staying over at Dana’s already, it seemed the logical next step would be to move in together. She’d ruminated over it thoroughly and wanted to suggest they move in together, but her gut told her it was a decision Dana needed to make. She knew Dana had a lot more on the line than she did, having not only herself but the children to think about; putting them all under one roof was something she’d have to feel completely comfortable with, so she was more than willing wait until Dana was ready.  
  
The evening Dana asked, they’d just returned to Monica’s apartment after having a nice, early dinner out in Dupont Circle. Melissa had offered to babysit the kids for the weekend as she wanted to take them to the art festival in her neighborhood.  
  
Monica went into the kitchen to get them something to drink. “So, I have wine, coffee, or tea. What are you in the mood for?”  
  
Dana was standing in front of one of the paintings she loved. Regardless of how often she’d had Dana over to her place, Dana always seemed mesmerized by the artwork she had around her apartment, much of which she’d acquired from her time in New Orleans, and some from central Mexico. “Hmm. I’ll go with coffee.”  
  
“Alright. Two coffees coming up.”  
  
When the coffee was finished, Monica brought their mugs into the living room and set them on the coffee table. Dana was seated comfortably on the couch, so Monica sat next to her.  
  
“How would you like to spend the rest of our evening?” Monica asked.  
  
Dana picked up her mug. “How about we watch that movie you were telling me about? The one you’ve been wanting me to watch.”  
  
“Ooh, yes. You need to watch this. I’m really interested to see what you think of it.” Monica started to get up to head toward her movie collection.  
  
“But, actually, I was thinking we could talk for a bit first.”  
  
Monica paused, noticing the serious undertone of Dana’s statement. “Sure” she said as she sat back down. ‘Finally’ she thought. She could tell Dana had something on her mind; she’d been slightly distracted all afternoon and throughout dinner. She’d known Dana long enough to know not to force it when she got like this, as most times Dana needed time to analyze and evaluate; she was very internal, though she also knew Dana had a tendency to overanalyze sometimes.  
  
“So…I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. As much as I love William and having him close by, I think it is time to move him out of my room into his own room. Which means I need a bigger place, as he and Emily are far enough apart in age that them sharing a room would not make sense. I’d also like to move soon. The thing is, you and I spend a lot of time together, and I love that time. You and the kids spend a lot of time together as well. I think out of the seven days of the week, you stay over at my apartment at least four of them, often times more. It would seem odd to look for a place and not have you apart of the process…”  
  
Monica had a hard time reading the look on Dana’s face, and so was unsure which way she should direct the conversation. “I am over there often. I’d be happy to help you look for a place if - ”  
  
Dana shook her head. “No, that’s not what I mean.” She was silent for a long moment.  
  
Monica finally understood the look on Dana’s face and fought to hide the smile rising to her lips. “What do you mean?”  
  
“I’d like it if you were more than just apart of the process.” Dana looked down into her mug of coffee, seemingly looking for strength. “How would you feel about looking for a place together…for the four of us?”  
  
Monica grinned, though Dana didn’t see it as she wouldn’t meet her eyes. Monica leaned forward, placed the fingertips of one hand on Dana’s chin, and lifted and turned her Dana’s face toward her. She waited until Dana met her eyes. “I would love that, Dana.”

* * *

  
Dana and Monica sat on their new sectional couch, Dana tucked under Monica’s arm as Monica absentmindedly carded her fingers through Dana’s hair. They’d just finished eating pizza for dinner and were watching TV. Since lunch, they’d finished the kids’ rooms and bathroom, the kitchen, and most of the living room. They planned to tackle their bedroom and bathroom, the office, and Monica’s art the next day. But for the rest of the evening they just wanted to rest.  
  
“That’s not how you make tamales.” Monica said, slightly offended by the cooking show they were watching.  
  
“It’s not?”  
  
“No. Or rather, that’s not how you make them if you want them to be any good. You wouldn’t use…You’d have to soak…One of these weekend’s I’ll show you how to make them, and you’ll see why what they’re doing is not the way to go.”  
  
“Mmmm. I look forward to it.”  
  
“I can’t wait to use that kitchen. My previous kitchen was ok, but the layout was odd. This one, though. I’ll really be able to get in there and do wonders. And, with so much space in the kitchen, it will be easier to have the kids in there when they want to help cook.”  
  
“Mmmm.”  
  
Monica looked down at Dana and, as her limited responses suggested, saw she was beginning to doze off. Monica smirked, then placed a slow kiss on top of her head.  
  
“Welcome home, love.”  
  
“Mmmm. Welcome home.”


	3. Welcome Home, pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of "Welcome Home." Scully and Reyes have unfinished packing after moving into their new house. The two women and the kids have their first night together in their new home.

The door bell rang and Dana quickly made her way to the door, her excitement getting the better of her. While it had been nice having the past two days kids-free while they moved and unpacked, she had missed them. She opened the door to see Emily, and a squirming William being held by Melissa.  
  
“Hi Mom!” Emily said as she slowly stepped over the threshold, her backpack in one hand, and what appeared to be a new book in the other. She was hesitant to walk further into the house, as it was actually the first time she’d been there. As such she stood nearly on top of Dana’s leg. Dana ruffled her hair a little. “Hi Emily.  
  
“Mommy!” William attempted to launch himself toward Dana, who took him out of Melissa’s arms, giving him a kiss on the forehead.  
  
“Someone’s excited to see their mom.” Melissa laughed and then leaned in and hugged Dana. “Hey, Dana.”  
  
“Hi Melissa. Come on in.” Dana closed the door after Melissa. Emily was still glued to her leg while William, now tired of being held, squirmed to get down. However, when she placed him down, he simply stood, staring into the unfamiliar space. Normally he would have bolted off in the direction of his toys, or anywhere other than where he was currently standing. As it was, Monica had made sure to get extra baby gates for the house. William, approaching one and a half, was taken to running everywhere and getting into everything.  
  
“Welcome to your new house, kiddos. Why don’t we take off those coats and then we can take a look around.”  
  
Dana helped the kids out of their coats and escorted them all out of the small foyer area into the living room. Melissa looked around in awe. “Wow, Dana. This place is amazing.” Dana noticed that Melissa was carrying William’s backpack and an additional bag. “You can set William’s bag down. What’s in the other bag?”  
  
“I brought over some supplies to cleanse the space.”  
  
“To what?”  
  
Melissa reached into the bag and pulled out what looked, to Dana, like a tiny bundle of leaves. “To— “  
  
Just then Monica came down the stairs. “Hey Melissa!”  
  
“Hey Monica.”  
  
“Mon-cah!” William yelled and toddled over to Monica, who scooped him up, giving him a big hug. “William!” she said with a laugh. She then walked over to Emily, who was still standing next to Dana to place a kiss on the little girl’s forehead. “And hello, Emily.”  
  
Emily grinned. “Hi Monica.”  
  
Monica noticed what Melissa was holding. “Oh, you brought it!”  
  
Dana looked at Monica with a confused look. “Brought what?”  
  
“Dried sage.” Melissa said. “I also brought Palo Santo because I wasn’t sure which you’d want to use, but on the way over I realized it’d probably be best to go with the sage. I brought a few bundles so there should have enough for the whole house.”  
  
Dana stared at Melissa, then looked at Monica. “Will someone please explain to me what is going on?”  
  
Monica placed William down, then looked at Dana, a bit sheepish. “Sage, to perform a cleansing ritual throughout the house.”  
  
“So, I take it you hadn’t mentioned it to her yet.” Melissa smirked.  
  
Dana raised her right eyebrow, looking at Monica. “No. She hadn’t.”  
  
Monica ran her hand through her hair, looking a little embarrassed. “How about we give you all a tour? Ready to see your new house, kids?” Emily nodded. “Come this way, William.” William and Emily followed Monica further into the living room as she pointed out where things were.  
  
Melissa began to follow them, pulling Dana along with her. She whispered “It’ll be good for the house, Dana.”  
  
Dana sighed. “Was this your idea, or hers?”  
  
“Both.”  
  
Monica walked them all through the main floor, from the living room, though the dining area, to the kitchen. She opened the backdoor off the kitchen to show them the backyard. Turning back into the house, they walked back through to the stairs. Once atop the stairs Monica closed the baby gate behind them, and they went to the door to Emily’s room, as it was closest to the stairs. Dana opened the door and Emily’s eyes went wide. She stood in the doorway for a long moment.  
  
Dana smiled. “Go ahead inside, sweetie.”  
  
Emily walked slowly into the room, then looked back at Dana and Monica, grinning. She walked to the far side of the room to her bed, which was against the wall, then to her desk where she ran her fingers over her lamp shade. “It’s my new lamp!” She walked around the room, touching her things as if they were all new, while William followed her, patting his hands on everything she touched.  
  
“Do you like it?” Monica asked.  
  
Emily nodded emphatically.  
  
Dana smiled. “Alright, now it’s time to see William’s room.” Emily placed the book she’d been holding on her bed, and then grabbed William’s hand. “C’mon, William.” She led him out of the room and followed everyone else next door to William’s room. William ran over to his toys and grabbed his favorite stuffed animal, seemingly oblivious to everything else.  
  
“This is your new room, buddy.” Dana said. William looked up at her, “Room!” then returned his attention to his other toys, grabbing another one for good measure. They all just laughed.  
  
Monica showed them the rest of the upstairs, then led everyone back downstairs to the living room. The kids and Melissa stayed in the living room as Dana called Monica to help her in the kitchen. Once there, Dana leaned against the island and simply fixed Monica with a look. Monica knew that look.  
  
Monica cleared her throat. “I’m sorry that was kind of a surprise. I’d meant to tell you about the cleansing. Really. I just think with all the moving and unpacking that it slipped my mind. When I dropped the kids off at Melissa’s the other day we got to talking about the house and she asked if I was going to cleanse the space. It’s something I usually do when I move into a new place, I just didn’t have anymore sage, which is when she offered to bring some over when she brought the kids…I do think it’s something we should do, Dana. Dried sage is a sacred herb, and has been used for ages in a number of cultures, from medicine men to shamans and healers, all using it in healing and sacred rituals, to cleanse spaces and items in the form of smudging. Smudging with sage specifically helps to dispel negative energies, and invite purity and positive energy into the space. From a scientific perspective, I’ve read that the smoke from the burning herbs is thought to release negative ions which has been linked to improved mood. Somewhat in the same vein as aromatherapy, though not -“  
  
“Monica.” Dana interrupted. Monica was rambling in that way of hers when she couldn’t tell what Dana was thinking, especially when the topic at hand approached the spiritual. Dana found it endearing. There were times, however, where she had to reel Monica back in. This was such a time.  
  
“What’s all involved in this smudging?”  
  
“The sage would be lit, and the bundle would be carried throughout the house, allowing the smoke to fill the space. The person smudging the space would also say a prayer, or speak words of positivity to bless the space.”  
  
Dana thought for a moment. She thought to ask if it was safe, but knew Monica wouldn’t do something that put them at risk. “Can it be done with the kids in the house?”  
  
Monica nodded. “Yes. I mean, I probably wouldn’t do it directly in their faces-” she laughed lightly “-but otherwise it’s fine. It’s like burning incense in a way, in terms of the smoke. If anything, I’d probably move them out of the room that’s actually being cleansed until that room is done, then they could go back in.”  
  
Dana noted the slight hopeful look on Monica’s face. Dana was still getting used to the rituals Monica occasionally practiced, though she had some practice, having Melissa as a sister. She had become more receptive to such spiritual practices over the years. She still held onto her religion, and admitted that she did not always believe in some of the things Melissa or Monica practiced, but she usually did not see the harm in them. She and Monica had talked occasionally about these matters, usually when they were at Monica’s old apartment, conversations prompted by things she saw around Monica’s apartment, or things she saw her do. Monica had initially been self-conscious about these things in Dana’s presence, unsure of how she would receive them, knowing she was fairly religious. But as they became more comfortable with each other, Monica was more open about them, and Dana was more open to learning about them. As it was, she had no objection to the rose quartz, amethyst, and other crystals Monica wanted to place on the dresser in their bedroom. “To harmonize the vibrations in the room, making it a space of calm and caring.” she’d said. Dana wasn’t entirely convinced, but the crystals were absolutely beautiful, and if they made Monica happy, she was fine with them being there.  
  
Monica stepped closer, pulling Dana out of her thoughts, and took Dana’s hand in one of hers. “I also think it would be good,” Monica said in a tone much softer and gentler than before, “with everything that’s happened the past year or so, to dispel as much negative energy as possible. To maybe help dispel bad dreams.” She gave Dana’s hand a gentle squeeze. “To help invite peace and continued healing in this new space, in this new home of ours.”  
  
Dana’s brow furrowed a bit in thought, as she looked away from Monica and out the kitchen window. After a long moment, her brow relaxed and she looked back at Monica. “Okay.”  
  
Monica held Dana’s gaze for a moment, then placed a kiss on Dana’s forehead. Dana gave Monica’s hand a light squeeze.  
  
At that moment Melissa brought the bag of herbs into the kitchen and set it on the island. “Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds, but I think I should be heading home.”    
  
Monica turned around to face Melissa while Dana poked her head around Monica. “You sure you don’t want to stay for dinner? I think we’re having pizza since not much cooking is getting done tonight.”  
  
“Thanks for the offer. I’d love to stay, but there are some things I need to take care of before tomorrow. Plus, it’s your first night with the kids in the house. You should have that time together.” Melissa walked over and gave Dana a hug. She whispered in Dana’s ear. “You have a beautiful house, with a beautiful family, Dana.” When she pulled away, Dana said “Thank you.” and smiled.  
  
Melissa then gave Monica a hug. “It’s good to see you, Monica.”  
  
“It’s good to see you, too, Melissa. Thanks for the sage and Palo Santo.” When the two separated Melissa said “Anytime.”

* * *

  
After Melissa left, Dana and Monica took the kids back upstairs to their rooms so they could play and get accustomed to their spaces. Shortly thereafter, Monica went downstairs and began to smudge the house.  
  
She started in the living room. She lit the sage, allowing the smoke to fill all the corners of the room, fanning the smoke with a small fan of ceremonial feathers her mother had given her many years ago. She walked throughout the first floor, blessing all the rooms. She did the same thing in the basement. When she made it upstairs, Dana took the kids downstairs.  
  
Once Monica finished all the rooms upstairs she made her way back downstairs. In the living room she found Emily seated on the sectional reading her new book, and William on the floor playing with his blocks. She could hear Dana in the kitchen pulling plates out of the cabinet. Monica, noting the time, realized she was getting ready for dinner. She walked over to the other cabinet, running her hand along Dana’s waist on the way, and began grabbing cups for all of them, making sure to grab the cartoon tiger cup for William.  
  
Dana looked over at Monica. “The pizza should be here any minute. You’ll be pleased to know that I remembered to ask for extra olives this time for you and Emily.”  
  
Just then the doorbell rang.  
  
Monica smirked. “I guess I finished just in time then. And thank you, for the olives.” Dana went to the door to get the pizza and pay the delivery person.  
  
“Alright. It’s dinner time you two.” Monica called to the kids. “William, time to sit at the table.”  William jumped up and ran his best toddler run toward Monica. Emily placed her book down and made her way to the table as well. It took a minute for Monica to get William into his chair, which was a normal dining room table chair with a booster seat attachment. It had been taking him awhile to get used to it. By the time he was situated in his seat Dana had the pizza on the table and he was distracted enough to forget he didn’t like the chair.  
  
“Oooh, extra olives!” Emily said as Dana opened the box. She grabbed her piece and promptly started eating. After everyone got their slices, and Dana cut William’s slice into pieces, they all spent a few minutes simply eating.  
  
“So, how was the art festival, Emily?” Monica asked.  
  
“It was pretty fun. There was drawing, and painting, and people making cups and bowls out of clay. They showed us how they put them in a fire to finish them. Aunt Melissa’s friends were there and they showed us how to make…well I can’t tell you yet. It’s a surprise.”  
  
Monica looked intrigued. “A surprise?”  
  
“Yep. And then we saw these big paintings people made with chalk on the sidewalks. They had one with lions and tigers in it that —”  
  
“Tiger!!” William yelled, then pointed to his cup. “Tiiigggeeeer!”  
  
“Yes, sweetie. Tiger.” Dana said.  
  
Emily continued “William liked that one. I was pretty cool.”  
  
“Raawwwrr!”  
  
Emily giggled. “What did you guys do while we were at Aunt Melissa’s?”  
  
“Oh, not much. Just moved all of our stuff here.” Dana said as she raised an eyebrow and smirked at Emily. Emily returned the look and Monica laughed at the likeness in expressions between the two.  
  
Emily then looked over at Monica and said excitedly “And you moved your stuff here too, right Monica?”  
  
“That’s right!” Monica said equally as excitedly.  
  
“Good.” Emily said matter-of-factly.  
  
Dana was about to ask her to elaborate on her statement but Emily continued. “Mom, can I be excused?”  
  
Dana was a bit confused. “Um. Have you finished eating?”  
  
“Yes. I’ll be right back. I just want to get something.”  
  
“Ok. Just take your plate and cup into the kitchen first.”  
  
Emily got up from her seat, quickly took her plate and cup into the kitchen, then just as quickly went upstairs. Dana and Monica exchanged a confused look. Seeing his sister get up William started squirming in an attempt to get out of his booster chair. “Get down?”  
  
“Wait a minute, sweetie. Drink some water first.” Dana said as she placed her hand lightly on his leg to keep him seated.  
  
“Get. Down!”  
  
Dana switched to a more serious tone. “William, drink some of your water, then you can get down.” He frowned a little but drank his water. By the time he finished Emily had returned, holding her hands behind her back.  
  
“Pleeeease. Get down?”  
  
“Ok, mister. Yes, you can get down since we’re done.” Dana wiped his mouth and hands with a napkin, then lifted him out of his seat and placed him on the floor. He then went into the living room to grab one of his toys.  
  
Dana turned to Emily. “What have you got there?”  
  
“Well, I made something for you at the festival.” She walked over to Dana. “I made friendship bracelets. See, I already have one on that I made.” She showed Dana her wrist, then pulled a bracelet of reds, oranges, and yellows out of her semi-closed hand. “Aunt Melissa told me to leave the ends long so you can tie it to fit.”  
  
Dana smiled. “This is really nice, Emily.” She gave the little girl a kiss on the forehead. “Thank you, sweetie.”  
  
“I made one for William, but it was too big. Aunt Melissa said I should hold onto it and then give it to him when he’s a little older.” Emily then walked over to Monica. “I made one for you too, Monica.” She pulled another bracelet out of her hand, this one of purples and blues, and held it up. “I wanted all of us to have bracelets, now that we’re all living together.”  
  
Monica held out her hand, where Emily placed the bracelet. Monica pulled it slowly through her fingers, appreciating the texture and the colors, then tilted her head slightly and smiled wide at Emily. “Thank you, Emily. This was really sweet of you. I love it.” She leaned forward in her chair and gave Emily a hug. Emily gave her a tight hug back. When they parted Emily went over to the couch and resumed reading.  
  
Monica looked over at Dana who was beginning to stand. The look on her face was a mix of pleasant surprise and appreciation. Dana smiled, knowingly. She placed her hand on Monica’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze before she picked up a few dishes and walked into the kitchen.

* * *

  
Monica had just finished changing into an old t-shirt that she used as pajamas. “Guess what?” said as she crawled into bed next to Dana, who was propped up with pillows against the headboard, reading.  
  
Dana looked up from her book. “What?”  
  
“There’s something I don’t have to do anymore.” Monica looked at Dana with an expression that suggested she was hiding the biggest, most exciting secret.  
  
“And what would that be?” Dana said, playing along.  
  
“I don’t have to leave early in the morning to stop by my apartment to get another change of clothes or pick up something I forgot at the apartment before I head into the office.”  
  
Dana removed her glasses, then placed her bookmark on her current page and closed it. She looked back at Monica as she continued.  
  
“I don’t have to ‘swing by my place first after I leave work before I head over.’ I don’t have to tell the kids that ‘I’ll see them in a few days.’ I don’t have to be in my apartment, feeling like home was somewhere else…I don’t have to do any of that anymore.”  
  
Dana’s look softened. “No. You don’t.” Dana lifted her arm and indicated with a nod for Monica to scoot closer. Monica smiled and leaned into Dana as she wrapped her arm loosely around her. “And how do you feel about that?” Dana asked.  
  
“I feel good. Really good. I know we were here together last night, and it felt really good, but it really sank in tonight, with the kids home…Home. This is our home…Together…I just…” She looked down at the friendship bracelet on her wrist, then sighed contentedly. “It feels really good.”  
  
Dana leaned her cheek against the top of Monica’s head. “You know, I was thinking the same thing earlier when the kids arrived. Once they were here, playing around the house, and then all of us having dinner together…Not that we haven’t all had dinner before. But those moments today really made the reality of this sink in.” Dana placed a kiss on top of Monica’s head. “That, and you cleansing the house.”  
  
Monica sat back up and studied Dana’s face. Monica’s brow was furrowed and she had an inquisitive look on her face. Dana answered the question she saw there before Monica could ask. “Your insistence on wanting to ensure this house was free of as much negative energy as possible, that it was open and receptive to positivity, with everything that’s happened…It was your way of creating a safe place for all of us. I cannot claim to understand it fully, but I trust that you would only do what you felt was best for all of us. I also know that it, and other things of this nature, came from a place of love. As a result I was touched, and beyond grateful. In that moment the reality of this really sank in…That moment was also further confirmation that this, moving in together, was the right step for us to take.” Dana reached out and cupped the side of Monica’s face, stroking her cheek with her thumb. “I’m glad that you made it possible for me to take that step. And I agree - it feels really good.”  
  
Monica placed her hand over Dana’s, then slightly turned her head to place a kiss into Dana’s palm. She then looked at Dana, holding her gaze for a moment before she leaned in and gave her long kiss. When Monica pulled back Dana’s eyes remained closed. She watched her for a second, taking in the woman before her.  
  
Dana slowly opened her eyes and smiled softly. “Yeah. Really, really good.”


	4. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scully suffers from nightmares. Reyes is there to comfort her.

Monica sat in the park reading magazine. The article she was reading was about architecture and cats. She didn’t quite understand the connection, but the article seemed interesting enough. As she read she thought she heard someone speaking in the distance, but when she looked up she didn’t see anyone talking. She actually didn’t see anyone period, which she thought was odd given how beautiful a day it was. People were always at this park. But then she heard the voice again, and louder. “No….Please….No!” That caught her full attention. She stood up, looking all around her, trying to find where it was coming from. She heard the voice again and pulled out her gun, feeling this person, wherever they were, must be in trouble. She momentarily thought it was odd that she had her gun with her; she wouldn’t normally have her gun on her during non-work hours, especially sitting at the park reading. But the voice, which was even louder, and the suddenly shaking ground, brought her back to the moment. ‘Why is the ground shaking?’ she thought.   
  
Monica found herself looking at the window curtains in her bedroom. It took her a moment to realize she was not in a park, but actually in bed, and that it was still nighttime. She’d been dreaming. She wondered why she wasn’t still dreaming; why was she awake all of a sudden. She felt a sudden shifting beside her that slightly jostled her, at the same time she heard a whimpered “No! Please!” Then it all made sense to her.  
  
She turned over, and with the help of the moonlight through the thin curtains, she could see the slightly furrowed brow on a still sleeping Dana. Dana began tossing and turning again and called out louder this time. Monica lifted up on her elbow, then lightly placed her hand on Dana’s arm and began to rub it. “Dana. Dana, love. Wake up.”  
  
“NO! Bring him back!!”  
  
“Dana, wake up,” she said a little louder, while she shook her a little harder.  
  
Dana’s eyes flew open, looking around frantically.  
  
“Dana. It’s okay. It was a dream,” Monica said in her calmest soothing voice.  
  
Dana sat up immediately, looking around the room. Monica sat up to meet her. “It’s okay, Dana. You’re okay. You’re in our bed, in our room.” She waited a moment, but Dana still looked around frantically. She wanted to take Dana’s hand or touch her arm, something to help soothe her, but didn’t want to startle her too much if she wasn’t fully awake and aware of her surroundings.  
  
“Dana, it’s Monica. Look at me.”  
  
It took a few seconds, but Dana turned to look at Monica.  
  
“William,” was all Dana said.   
  
Monica could tell she was fully awake, just shaken. She also knew what dream they were dealing with. “He’s okay. He’s in his room, sleeping.”  
  
Dana looked at Monica for a moment, the look of distress still on her face. Monica could tell that Dana didn’t believe her.  
  
“He’s okay, love.”  
  
Dana looked toward their slightly ajar bedroom door, and before Monica could say anything else she abruptly got up.  
  
“My baby,” was all she said before she left the room.  
  
Monica let out a long sigh. She knew Dana would be gone for a few minutes. She also knew not to follow her, knowing she needed to have that moment to herself. So she leaned back against the headboard and waited for Dana to return.  
  
Dana’s nightmares were, unfortunately, nothing new. Though, she noted, Dana had been having fewer of them since they moved into their house together, only having them every few weeks as opposed to once a week like before. They were usually all the same, or very similar - they were about William’s kidnapping, and the night they found him in the field at the cult’s alien spacecraft site. Monica couldn’t blame Dana’s subconscious; that time had been unquestionably nightmarish. Just thinking about that night gave her chills, as she recalled walking around the site after the spacecraft had shot into the sky, seeing all the charred bodies of the cult members on the ground…Not knowing where William was in all of it. The dreadful feelings of uncertainty and fear, so much fear that didn’t seem right after she had spent so much of the evening trying to convince Dana not to give up hope. Feeling her own hope rapidly drain away. It was bone-chilling.  
  
Just then Dana re-entered their bedroom. She looked so tired. Not just physically, but emotionally. Monica sat up from the headboard and looked at her with concern. Dana walked over to her own side of the bed and sat down next to Monica, letting out a heavy sigh before speaking quietly.  
  
“Of course he was still here. He’s always here…” Her voice had begun to break. “And yet…”  
  
Monica reached out and gently started rubbing circles along Dana back to comfort her, all the while looking at her with intense concern. Once Dana met her eyes, her face crumpled and she began to cry.   
  
“C’mere, love.” Monica pulled Dana into her side, the other woman following easily, and held her. Dana buried her head into Monica’s neck and began to cry in earnest. Monica simply held her tight, repeating combinations of “It’s okay. He’s okay. Everyone’s here. It’s alright” as Dana’s sobbing shook her whole body.   
  
Early in their relationship Dana had been reluctant to tell Monica about the content of her nightmares. Sometimes she’d leave Monica in the bed to get up and check on the kids. Sometimes she’d just clung to Monica and cried. Sometimes both. But she never talked about the dreams. Monica asked if she wanted to talk about them, but Dana always said no. Monica didn’t want to push her, knowing she would tell her when she was ready, but she worried all the same. It wasn’t until Monica started spending more nights at Dana’s that Dana told her.   
  
She explained that in the dreams she was almost always back in that field where they found William, except she was alone. She would cry out, hoping that William wasn’t on the ship, hoping that they hadn’t taken him. However, when she finally made it to the site of the burning tent, she never found him, no matter how long she looked. At that point she knew he was on the ship that had just vanished. She would scream up at the sky, pleading for them to bring him back. In another version of the dream, when she made it down to the site, she would find his little body, charred like all the other cult members. There were a few other variations, but they all ended with her losing William in some way.   
  
Monica’s heart had twisted in anguish when Dana told her the details of the dreams. And it broke her heart each time Dana had the nightmare, in all its forms. It was as if the past refused to let Dana go, no matter how much Monica pulled her forward, no matter how much Dana pulled herself up from the unimaginable, she could not pry all the subconscious fingers away from her. Monica suspected there might be something her subconscious was still trying to work out. For instance, she thought it was odd that Dana was always alone in the dream, even though, in real life, Monica had been there with her that night. Monica brought up the possibility of talking the dream through with someone, but Dana was not yet open to the idea. Monica simply held onto the hope that time would heal this, as it did with so many things in life.  
  
Dana’s crying had begun to lessen. Her breathing had also become more even as she calmed down in Monica’s arms. After a few more minutes of holding her, Monica kissed the top of Dana’s head. “Do you want to lay down?”  
  
Dana nodded her head. Monica released her enough to allow them to lay down, Dana releasing Monica’s nightshirt where she’d been gripping it and turning over. Once Dana was settled Monica pulled the covers up over them and then leaned into Dana from behind, wrapping her arm around her and pulling her close. Dana nestled back into Monica’s embrace, then reached her free arm up to hold Monica’s arm which held her. Monica laid awake as Dana’s grip on her arm slowly slackened, listening to her breathing until each breath was calm, deep, and long, letting her know Dana had fallen asleep. At that point she allowed herself to fall into sleep.


	5. New Day, New School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The weekend before Emily starts her new preschool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this one-shot Emily is 4 years old, soon to be 5. This takes place pre-William, pre-Monica. This is a bit different, but I've been interested in exploring what life looked like when it was just Scully and Emily. I imagine these may pop up from time to time.

Dana had just finished unpacking her suitcase when she heard a knock at the door. It was early Saturday afternoon and she’d just returned from being away for a few days on a case. She wasn’t fond of having to leave town these days, but the nature of the case had necessitated she go along with Mulder to investigate. It had been a difficult case, so she was glad to be home.  
  
After looking through the peephole to confirm, she opened her door to find her mother and Emily on the other side.  
  
“Hey there, you two!”  
  
Maggie and Emily walked into the apartment. “Hi Dana.” Maggie gave Dana a hug.  
  
After she released her mother, Dana bent down and gave Emily a hug. “Hi, sweetie.”  
  
Emily wrapped her arms around Dana’s neck. Sensing that Emily had no intention of letting go, Dana picked her up. Emily continued to hold onto Dana as she nestled her head into Dana’s neck.  
  
“Why don’t I take Emily’s things to her room.”  
  
“You don’t have to do that, Mom. Leaving them here is fine. I’ll take care of them.”  
  
“It’s ok, dear. I’ve got it,” Maggie said, patting Emily’s back before she made her way to the little girl’s room; she recognized Emily needed a moment with her mother.  
  
Dana turned her attention back to Emily. “Did you have a nice time with Grandma?”  
  
Emily nodded against Dana’s neck.  
  
Dana rubbed Emily’s back, noting her quiet mood. “It’s so good to see you, you know that? I really missed you while I was gone.”  
  
“I missed you, too,” Emily said, just above a whisper.  
  
Dana turned her head to kiss the top of Emily’s forehead. They stood like this for a moment, Dana simply holding Emily as she swayed back and forth. Emily then lifted her head and gave Dana a kiss on her cheek. Smiling, Dana gave Emily another hug, then placed her back down on the ground.  
  
“Let’s go help Grandma with your stuff.” Dana reached for Emily’s hand, and, once she took it, led her to her room. Once in the room she saw that her mother was mostly done unpacking Emily’s duffle bag. “Thanks, Mom.”  
  
“Of course.” Maggie placed Emily’s empty duffle bag in her closet. “How was the flight home?”  
  
“It was fine. Uneventful, which I’m thankful for. Thankful for that, and being able to get the early flight. Now I’m just glad to be home.” She looked down at Emily and gently wiggled their held hands. Emily looked up and smiled, then looked down again and leaned her head against Dana’s thigh.  
  
“I bet you are. That case sounded…difficult to say the least.” Dana had told her a few of the details of the case she’d been working on when she called in the evenings to talk to Emily.  
  
Maggie continued. “Well, we had a really nice time these past few days. It was so nice spending time with my granddaughter.” She tapped the tip of Emily’s nose, which made Emily giggle. “And thank you for helping me with baking.”  
  
“You’re welcome!” Emily beamed. She had developed quite an interest in helping in the kitchen, with baking in particular. That was all Maggie’s doing.  
  
Maggie smiled. “I know you’re both happy to be home, though. So, I think I will leave you two to your weekend.” She bent down to give Emily a hug, who let go of Dana’s hand to return her grandmother’s hug.  
  
“I’ll see you in a few days,” Maggie said as she stood upright. They both walked back out into the living room toward the front door, where Dana gave Maggie a hug.  
  
“Thanks for taking care of her while I was gone, Mom.”  
  
“Of course, dear. Anytime.” Maggie smiled, then opened the door and left.  
  
Once Dana closed the door she turned around to see Emily coming out of her room, carrying a few of her books and toys into the living room. One of those toys was a green, cartoonish stuffed alien that Mulder had given her shortly after her adoption. Dana remembered rolling her eyes at him when she saw it, but not only had Emily taken a liking to it, it had become one of her favorite stuffed animals, much to Mulder’s satisfaction.  
  
Dana smiled at the sight, then turned and walked into the kitchen to grab a snack for the two of them. However, when she opened the refrigerator she remembered that she’d been gone for nearly a week, and therefore needed to go grocery shopping. She sighed. It had been such a long week. All she wanted to do was relax and spend time with Emily before the weekend was over. She opened the freezer to find only one more of the dinners she’d pre-made. So a trip to the grocery store was necessary.  
  
While they were out, Dana thought, they might as well get Emily’s new shoes for school. Dana had been determined to get an early flight that morning because she wanted to be able to spend as much time with Emily as possible before Monday, when she’d be starting her new school. Emily was beginning pre-k at a school that Dana felt better fit Emily’s needs and her own personal desires for her daughter’s education. The new school was a Montessori-type school that fostered and supported self-directed learning. Dana had realized that Emily really liked learning, and was fairly independent. However the school she attended wasn’t structured in a way that encouraged or supported that kind of student; not in a way that was satisfactory to Dana. Furthermore, the new school fed into the best elementary school in the area, and also had a nice STEM program which Dana appreciated. Melissa had joked with her that just because she had a deep appreciation for science didn’t necessarily mean Emily must, but Dana emphasized that the entire curriculum was diverse and strong, the STEM program was just one aspect of many. But, Dana admitted to herself, she’d be lying if she said the STEM program wasn’t a big draw for her.  
  
Dana walked back out to the living room. “So it looks like we actually need to go to the grocery store, kiddo.”  
  
“Are we out of food?”  
  
“Not completely, but we definitely need more than we currently have. And, while we’re out, we’ll get your new shoes for school. So, can you put your shoes on for me?”  
  
“Yes. Can I bring Winston?” Emily asked as she stood up from where she was playing.  
  
The stuffed alien’s name was Winston. Dana had no idea where she came up with that name, or where she heard it. “Yes, you can bring him, but you have to leave him in the car when we go into the store, okay?”  
  
“Ok.” Emily went off to her room to grab Winston.  
  
Dana went into the kitchen to grab the two remaining apples, then went back to the living room to put her own shoes on. She hoped that the trip out went smoothly and relatively quick.

* * *

 

The afternoon seemed to fly by. Dana got the groceries they needed, and then found Emily a practical pair of shoes that they both agreed on (with minimal pouting during the process). Once home, Dana and Emily spent the rest of the afternoon and evening playing, reading, and having dinner. After dinner the two watched a movie before Dana read Emily her bedtime story and put her to bed.  
  
Dana had just finished getting ready for bed and was in her own bed beginning to read when she heard a tiny knock on her bedroom door.  
  
“Come in.”  
  
Emily poked her head through the slightly ajar door before pushing it open and stepping into the room. She stood by the door, looking at her hands, which were fiddling nervously.  
  
“What’s the matter, sweetie?”  
  
Emily’s voice was small. “Can I sleep in your bed tonight?”  
  
Dana wasn’t surprised by the request; she was actually wondering when the little girl was going to make her way to her bedroom. Whenever she was gone for a few days, upon her return Emily was especially, and justifiably needy, always wanting to be by her side. Dana didn’t mind it; as it was, she needed that together time just as much as Emily. Dana hated having to leave her for long work trips. She especially hated how potentially disruptive it could be. Emily had adjusted fairly well after her adoption, though it had taken some time, especially under the circumstances. As such, it had been paramount that Dana provide her with stability, given how tumultuous and sudden the changes she experienced had been - the death of both her birth parents, staying at the children’s home, the hospital stays, the treatment period, and the waiting period until she could be adopted by Dana. It had been a lot, so providing her with as much of her presence, and as much stability as was possible had been the focus early on, and, frankly, still was. Dana’s trips had become fewer and farther between, but when she did have to leave, she worried about it’s impact on Emily. Emily’s therapist, as well as her mother and Melissa had tried to reassure her that trips every now and again would not cause harm, especially given how well Emily had adjusted, but Dana still worried. So she usually called every night, or as close to every night as she could, when she was away. To let her know she was still there, and that she would be coming back soon. She gave Emily her undivided attention, and then some, upon her return. And she let the little girl sleep with her for a night or two afterwards; having Emily sleep in her bed those few nights brought Dana peace of mind.  
  
Dana realized she hadn’t answered Emily. “Of course, sweetie.” Dana pulled back the covers on the other side of the bed and patted the area. “Come on up.”  
  
Emily smiled, then climbed up onto the bed and crawled close to Dana’s side, pulling the covers up over her as she laid down. Dana brushed Emily’s bangs back, then leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.  
  
“I love you, Emily.”  
  
“I love you, too, Mom.”  
  
Emily then turned away from Dana’s bedside lamp light and eventually fell asleep while Dana continued to read.

* * *

 

Dana shut off the alarm that had started to sound. She rolled over and saw that Emily was still sleeping soundly. She had wished that the alarm had roused the little girl as well, but, then again, she thought, this gave her a head start on getting ready. It was Monday morning, Emily’s first day at her new pre-school, and Dana wanted to get Emily’s day off to a good start.  
  
Dana took her shower and got dressed before she woke Emily. The little girl was a little groggy and reluctant to get up, but when Dana reminded her what day it was she perked up. Though, Dana noticed, it was with more nervous energy than excitement. Dana knew that Emily was a little hesitant about this transition, so she wanted to make it as smooth as possible.  
  
“Alright, sleepyhead. Go ahead and brush your teeth and wash your face. Then you can put on the outfit you picked out last night.” Emily had spent a long time going through her clothes. Dana normally picked out a few outfit options for Emily to choose from, but thought this time she would let her choose from scratch. After about a half hour Dana had started to feel like maybe she’d made a mistake, but finally the little girl picked out all her outfit components, which included one of her favorite shirts. The outfit was actually a pretty nice one; not as random as she suspected it might be. It was also appropriate for the hot, humid DC weather.  
  
Emily made her way to the bathroom while Dana went out to the kitchen to get her coffee started and make oatmeal for Emily.  
  
By the time she finished making her breakfast, Emily entered the kitchen and sat in her chair at the table where Dana had placed her bowl.  
  
“Are you excited about today?” Dana asked as she sat in her chair with her coffee and her yogurt and granola.  
  
Emily played with her oatmeal and nodded her head ‘yes.’  
  
Dana realized she shouldn’t have lead with a leading question, still noting Emily’s nervous energy.  
  
“How are you feeling?”  
  
“Okay.” Emily swirled her spoon in her oatmeal a bit more, and then started eating.  
  
Dana reached over and smoothed her hand down Emily’s hair and smiled at her. Emily tried to smile back as best she could with a mouth full of food. Dana chuckled slightly, then picked up her the case file she’d brought to the table to look at, letting Emily eat.  
  
Once Dana and Emily finished their breakfasts, Dana brushed Emily’s hair, then had her get her backpack and put her new shoes on. Dana finished grabbing all she needed for the day, made sure to grab Emily’s lunch box out of the refrigerator, and they both made their way out the door.  
  
The drive to the new school was quiet as Emily starred out the window, playing with her cross necklace, lost in thought. They were similar that way, preferring to quietly sit with their thoughts when necessary, so Dana let her be. So long as her little brow didn’t furrow too much. Once they arrived at the school, Dana parked the car, grabbed Emily’s backpack and lunchbox from the passenger seat, and got out. She walked to Emily’s side to let her out of her booster seat in the back. Once out, Dana helped Emily put her backpack on, then took her hand to walk them toward the entrance of the school. Emily was still quiet, still playing with her necklace. Dana knew it was something she did for comfort; Emily had done it ever since she gave it to her when they first met.  
  
Dana gently shook Emily’s hand that she was holding to pull her out of her thoughts. “What are you thinking about, sweetie?”  
  
Emily looked up at Dana. “What if everybody already has friends?” Dana sighed lightly, out of sympathy. She’d asked this question before. Emily started her last school in the middle of the school year, so it had taken some time for her to settle in. Though once she did, she got along great with everyone. But Dana understood her daughter’s trepidation.  
  
“Well, it’s everyone’s first day. There may be a few kids who know each other, but many of them will be new and looking to make friends, just like you.”  
  
Emily seemed to consider this for a moment as they walked.  
  
“Remember how we visited a few weeks ago and you met your teacher, Ms. Garcia?”  
  
Emily perked up a bit. “Yeah! She’s nice.”  
  
They entered the school and made their way to Emily’s classroom.  
  
“So you’ll have Ms. Garcia to help show you and all the other new kids around, and introduce you to each other.”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
When they arrived at the door of Emily’s classroom, Dana pulled Emily aside and knelt down. She placed the lunchbox on the floor, then took Emily’s other hand so that she was holding one hand in each of hers.  
  
“It’ll be alright, sweetie. I know it’s new, and it might seem a little scary, but I know you can do it. You’re going to meet new friends and learn new things. I bet it’ll be exciting…And when I pick you up this afternoon you can tell me all about it,” Dana said with a smile.  
  
Emily gave a sideways smile. “Okay.”  
  
Dana leaned in and gave her a hug, then placed a kiss on her forehead. She searched Emily’s eyes for any lingering hesitation, and, thankfully, saw none. “You ready?”  
  
“Yep!”  
  
“Okay!” Dana stood up, handed Emily her lunchbox, then took her free hand and walked them into the classroom.  
  
As they entered the room, they were greeted by Emily’s teacher. “Good morning, Ms. Scully! Hello Emily!”  
  
“Good morning, Ms. Garcia.” Dana looked down at Emily. Emily became shy and stood closer to Dana. “Hi,” she said quietly.  
  
“How about we take your backpack and lunchbox to your cubby?” Emily looked up at Dana, who nodded, and then followed her teacher to put her things away in her assigned cubby by the door. Ms. Garcia then reached out for Emily’s hand. “We’re going to have a lot of fun today. How about you tell your mom ‘bye,’ then I’ll take you over to meet the other kids who are here.”  
  
Emily turned to Dana. Dana gave her a big smile and waved. “Bye, Emily. I’ll see you later, okay?”  
  
Emily waved back. “Bye, Mom.”  
  
Dana gave Emily a wink, and the little girl grinned wide before turning around and following her teacher.  
  
Dana turned and walked out of the classroom. When she looked back she saw Ms. Garcia introducing Emily to the other kids as they jumped up to meet her. Dana then turned back around and made her way out the school.

* * *

 

Dana had been looking at the clock in the office off-and-on for the last half hour, as if willing time to go faster. She’d been distracted all day, wondering how Emily’s day was going, hopeful that it was going well.  
  
Mulder noticed his partner’s preoccupation with the clock. “What time does her school let out?”  
  
Dana looked up from the case file she had been attempting to review. “Three o’clock, though there is aftercare until six.”  
  
Mulder saw that it was close to two-thirty. “So I take it you’ll be heading out soon?”  
  
“Yes, actually. Just as soon as I finish making notes for the report.”  
  
“I can take care of that.”  
  
Dana raised her eyebrow at Mulder. Mulder hated paperwork; it was not like him to offer to do it willingly.  
  
Mulder noted her look. “Really, Scully. I can take care of it. It’s probably better that you get there a little early anyway, with all those parents trying to nonchalantly edge their way to the front door to be the first to greet their kid. Wouldn’t want to have to pull out the Scully muscle on the first day.”  
  
Dana rolled her eyes, but smirked. She made her last few notes, then got up and took the files to Mulder, placing them on his desk. “Thank you.”  
  
“No problem. Tell Little Scully I said ‘hello’.”  
  
Dana grabbed her things. “I will,” she said with a smirk before she walked out of the office.

* * *

 

Dana checked in at the front office, then walked into Emily’s classroom a few minutes after three o’clock. There were already a few eager parents, guardians, and caretakers in the room. Standing somewhat behind the other adults, she looked around the room and saw Emily sitting on the floor with two other little girls; they all seemed to be engrossed in the game they were playing. One of the little girls looked over and jumped up when one of the adults called her name. Emily watched the little girl run over to the adult who was in front of Dana. Dana stepped out from behind them and caught Emily’s eye. Seeing her, Emily smiled, then turned to say something to the remaining little girl she was playing with before she got up and walked over to Dana.  
  
Dana bent down and gave her a hug. “Hi, sweetie. Did you have a good day?”  
  
Emily nodded emphatically.  
  
“Why don’t you go get your things and then you can tell me all about it.” Emily went over to her cubby and got her backpack and lunchbox and hurriedly walked back over to Dana. The said their goodbyes to Ms. Garcia and left.  
  
After she buckled Emily into her booster seat in the back, Dana got into the driver’s seat and started the drive home. Emily had been talking non-stop since they left the classroom. She simply listened as Emily described, in detail, all she’d done that day, who all the children were in the class, and which ones were her friends. Dana felt herself relax as she listened to her talk, glad that things had gone well and that the little girl felt better than she had that morning.  
  
“Mom, you know what?  
  
“What?”  
  
“I think I like my new school.”  
  
Dana saw the content look on Emily’s face through the rearview mirror as the little girl looked out her window. “I’m glad you like it, sweetie. I think I like it, too.”


	6. Making it All Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Saturday at the Scully/Reyes household.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The back and forth between the pronunciation of "mama" is intentional.

Monica slowly opened her eyes to the morning. She thought it was so nice not waking up to the alarm, thankful that it was Saturday.   
  
After a few minutes of lying there, she felt the bed shift next to her and the loss of heat, then heard their bathroom door close a few seconds later. She looked at the clock on the nightstand nearest her and saw that it was 7:20 a.m. Not as late as she’d hoped, but it was later than her usual time during the week. Dana was often up early, regardless of the alarm clock, so she wasn’t surprised that she’d already gotten up. When Dana made it back to bed, Monica rolled over, adjusting the blankets as she went, and draped her arm over Dana’s waist, inching closer to her.  
  
“Morning,” she said just above a whisper.  
  
Dana took Monica’s hand and brought it close to her chest, which pulled Monica even closer. “Mmm. I didn’t mean to wake you.”  
  
“You didn’t wake me. I woke up a few minutes ago.”  
  
“Really? Monica Reyes awake before 8 a.m.?” Dana said, in faux disbelief.  
  
“I’m regularly awake before eight,” Monica scoffed.  
  
Dana chuckled lightly, then turned her head slightly in Monica’s direction. “Of your own volition?”   
  
“Hmm…” A smirk found it’s way to Monica’s lips. “That’s fair.” She buried her nose into Dana’s hair and relaxed her head into her pillow as a quiet fell over them.   
  
Monica allowed herself to get lost in thought as they lay in bed. There was something about these weekend mornings, when the day was still new, and the house was still quiet. These mornings allowed her moments of contemplation and reflection in which she was often overcome with contentment. Laying like this with Dana, cuddling, the only sounds being those of their calm breathing. She loved this woman so much, and loved the life they had built together. She was so happy they had found each other, and that they had chosen each other. That Dana had chosen her. Sometimes, as cliché as the sentiment was, she felt there was some element of fate at play.   
  
Moved by the thought, she buried her face a little deeper into Dana’s hair and kissed the back of her neck, and Dana hummed her appreciation. Monica kissed her again, this time moving slightly to the side of Dana’s neck. She lifted up slightly and placed another kiss between Dana’s neck and shoulder, while simultaneously removing her hand from Dana’s hold, and slipping it under her nightshirt. She caressed Dana’s stomach, then slowly made her way up to her left breast, continuing to kiss her neck. Dana had begun to breathe a bit heavier as Monica began to massage her breast, sharply intaking breath as the woman lightly pinched her nipple. Dana lifted her arm and reached backward toward Monica’s head to give the woman more access as she wove her fingers through Monica’s hair.   
  
Monica noted Dana’s labored breathing as she massaged her breast. She then slowly ran her hand up Dana’s chest to her neck, taking her time to feel Dana’s chest rise and fall, then ran her hand back down, along her stomach, and over to her hip. While moving her hand along Dana’s hip and outer thigh, she nipped lightly at her neck, getting a small gasp in response. She slowly caressed the front of Dana’s thigh, approaching her center. Dana adjusted her hips, then lifted and bent her leg a little to allow Monica more access as she held the back of Monica’s head. Monica began to stroke Dana’s inner thigh, when a voice came from down the hall.   
  
“Mommy! Mooooommmmmyyy!”  
  
Dana tensed, then groaned exasperatedly.  
  
“Mamá!”   
  
Monica stilled her hand and waited a few seconds. She knew William often called out like this when he woke up, ready to get out of his bed, but hoped it wasn’t quite time yet. “Maybe he will go back to sleep. It’s still a bit early,” she whispered calmly into Dana’s ear.  
  
Dana groaned again, clearly frustrated. After a few more seconds of silence Monica started moving her hand again, slowly rubbing Dana’s inner thigh, inching closer to her center. Dana began to relax again, as Monica continued to tease her. She edged toward where Dana needed her most, teasing her over her underwear when their bedroom door swung open. Monica froze, and Dana immediately slid her leg down, when they saw William standing in their doorway. Dana pulled her hand out of Monica’s hair, and ran it down her face.   
  
William walked over to the foot of the bed.  
  
Monica kissed Dana’s cheek, then sat up to face William. “William, did you climb out of your bed?”  
  
William looked bashful and didn’t answer.  
  
“William, you know you’re not supposed to climb out of your bed.” She fixed him with a stern look.  
  
William simply stood there, looking at Monica with big eyes.   
  
Monica breathed out heavily, but with a slight smile. “C’mere, mijo.”  
  
At that, William grinned and raised his arms as Monica lifted him onto the bed. “Hi, Mama.”  
  
“Good morning, Will.”  
  
William crawled over to Dana, who had turned over toward the two. “Good morny, Mommy!”  
  
“Morning, William.”  
  
“Mommy, you sleep?”  
  
“Yes, Mommy was sleeping, but not anymore.”  
  
“Not sleep in-more?”  
  
“No. I’m awake now. Just like you’re awake.”  
  
William turned to Monica. “Mama! Mommy wake.”  
  
Monica brushed her fingers through his hair. “Yes, Mommy’s very much awake.”  
  
“Mama?”  
  
“Yes, mijo.”  
  
“Mama, eat toast downstair?”  
  
“You want to eat toast downstairs? You ready for breakfast?”  
  
William nodded emphatically.  
  
“Alright, let Mamá go to the bathroom, then we’ll go downstairs and I’ll make breakfast.”  
  
Monica got up and went to the bathroom. William laid down next to Dana and put his hand on her cheek, then touched her nose.   
  
“You know, mister, you can’t climb out of your bed like that. It’s not safe. Next time just wait for me or Mama to come get you, ok?”  
  
William seemed to think over her words. “Okay.”  
  
Dana leaned forward and kissed his forehead, which made him giggle.   
  
“Mama make toast. You want toast?”  
  
“Hmm…Maybe. Or maybe I’ll just eat you instead,” she said as she made gobbling noises against his cheek. William laughed and began tossing and turning. “No! You can’t eat me!”  
  
Monica came out of the bathroom, grabbed a pair of boxers out the dresser and put them on. She also grabbed a hair tie and tied her hair up in a messy bun before making her way over to the bed. After running her hand down Dana’s hair, she leaned over and scooped William up and placed him on the floor. “Alright, Will. Why don’t you go grab a toy, then we’ll go downstairs.”  
  
“Okay!” He ran out of the room toward his own.  
  
Monica looked down at Dana with a sympathetic look on her face. “Rain check?”  
  
Dana sat up, propping herself against the headboard, and sighed. When she looked up at Monica, she smiled, pulling the woman toward her and kissed her not so innocently on the lips. By the time she pulled back, they were both panting a little, from need of air. Dana smirked. “Rain check indeed…Do want me to help you with breakfast?”  
  
“No, I think I’ve got it.”  
  
“Alright. I guess I’ll go take a shower while I have a minute… A cool one.”  
  
Monica smirked.  
  
“Though I suppose Mr. Daredevil’s entrance was essentially the equivalent.”  
  
William came running back into the room carrying one of his toys. Monica picked him up and began walking out of the room. “Hmm, actually, let’s get you a new diaper first.”  
  
“Bye, Mommy!” He waved with his free hand at Dana over Monica’s shoulder as they left.

* * *

  
The eggs and bacon were done, and Monica was keeping them warm on the stove as she waited for the last of the toast to pop, all the while keeping an eye on William, who was in the living room playing with his giant Legos. Emily was still upstairs sleeping. The little girl loved to sleep in, just as much as Monica, when she had the chance.  
  
Just then, Dana came downstairs. She was dressed for the day, jeans and a t-shirt, hair slicked back, still wet from her shower. Monica watched as she stopped and ruffled William’s hair before making her way to the kitchen.   
  
“It smells wonderful in here,” Dana walked over and, leaning up on her toes, placed a kiss on Monica’s cheek. She then walked over to the cabinets to grab dishes and brought them over to Monica, who began making everyone’s plates.  
  
“Had I realized that breakfast was done I would have woken up Sleeping Beauty on the way down,” Dana said as she got the last of the cups.   
  
“Looks like you didn’t need to.” Monica nodded toward the living room. Emily had just gotten to the bottom of the stairs, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes with one hand, holding a book in the other.  
  
William waved excitedly at Emily. “Emmy! Come sit down.”  
  
Emily walked over to William and gave him a hug. “Hi, Will.” She sat down on the couch behind him and looked over toward the kitchen. “Morning, Mom. Morning, Mama.”   
  
“Morning, Emily,” Monica and Dana said in unison.  
  
Once Monica finished assembling everyone’s plates, Dana picked up the kids’ plates and took them to the table. “Alright, kiddos, it’s time to come sit at the table. Breakfast is ready.”  
  
The kids made their way to the table and sat down in their chairs. Dana went back and grabbed their drinks before sitting down, and Monica brought over the plates she made for Dana and herself before also sitting down.  
  
“Toast! Mama make toast! Mmmm.”   
  
Monica smiled and ruffled William’s hair before turning to Emily. “How’d you sleep, Emily?”  
  
“Good. I dreamt that me and my friends were in a forest and we found this secret cave that we used as a secret hideout to play. No one else could find it, though, because it was covered by special vines that only we could get through. We had special powers to get through the vines, but I don’t remember what the powers were.”  
  
“That sounds really interesting,” Monica said as she sipped her coffee.  
  
“It was.”  
  
“Mmm. Eggs. My eggs good. Emmy! Emmy! You eggs good?” William interjected.  
  
“I haven’t eaten them yet, Will.”  
  
“You want eat eggs?”  
  
“Let me taste them…Mmm. These are good eggs, Will.”  
  
William grinned. “Mmm.”  
  
Emily turned to Monica and Dana. “Mama? Mom? Do you ever have dreams that feel so real that it’s like you’re really there?  
  
Monica had just taken a bite of her food, so Dana spoke up. “Hmm. Not a lot…but every once in awhile I have ones that feel very real.” Monica gave her a sympathetic look. She knew which dreams Dana was referring to; they were dreams that she wished didn’t feel quite so real. “But I know Mama has lots of dreams like that. Her dreams are quite vivid.”  
  
Emily furrowed her brow. “What does ‘vivid’ mean?”  
  
“It can mean a few things. When you’re talking about colors it can mean a color that is very bright or intense. For other things, it can refer to something that gives the sensation of being very real.”  
  
Emily looked at Monica. “So your dreams are very vivid?”  
  
Monica had finished chewing. “Yeah, I would say more often than not.” Monica was putting it lightly. She regularly had dreams that felt so real that she wasn’t entirely convinced they were purely figments of her imagination. She often shared the details of those dreams with Dana when they found themselves lying in bed in the morning. Monica had long wondered if her dreams were possibly small glimpses into past lives; her dreams had felt remarkably real as far back as she could remember. Admittedly, she hadn’t been fully convinced of the possibility of past lives until she had the encounter in Novi with Van Allen, and, during the investigation, realized she was likely the reincarnation of the person who always sought to stop those gruesome murders. After that experience she became more diligent in keeping a dream journal, something she’d tried many times before but had never succeeded in making a habit.  
  
Monica continued. “Those dreams do feel very real. Sometimes it’s as if I’m actually there because everything feels, and looks, and tastes so incredibly…well, real…Is that what it’s like for you?” Monica was very intrigued by Emily’s experience with her dreams; hearing others’ dreams always piqued her interest, and hearing those of children were especially fascinating, given how unconstrained their imaginations were.  
  
Emily was equally intrigued. “The leaves of the vine in my dream felt so real! They felt just like the leaves on the vine on the fence at school…” Monica watched her stare off into space for a moment, apparently lost in thought. “I hope I have more dreams like that.”  
  
Monica smiled. “I’m sure you will. I can’t wait to hear about them when you do.” Monica gave the little girl a wink, who smiled and resumed eating her food.  
  
The rest of breakfast passed with more conversation, and more exclamations about the food from William. When they finished Emily went over to the couch to read the book she’d brought downstairs while William resumed playing with his toys. Dana cleared the table and began rinsing and loading them into the dishwasher.  
  
Monica leaned against counter, drinking her coffee. “You know, I think it might be time to get Mister a bed. A big kid bed.”  
  
Dana continued rinsing and loading as she responded. “I don’t know. I’m not sure he’s old enough for that. He just turned two a few weeks ago.”  
  
“Yes. But I don’t think this is age specific, but more likely a range of ages. The fact that he’s climbing out of his bed might be more suggestive of the possible need for a switch in bed.”  
  
“Maybe. But, developmentally I don’t think he’s old enough to not be confined to a bed with rails.”  
  
“Like the rails he’s currently climbing over?”  
  
Dana loaded the last dish, closed the dishwasher, and dried her hands on a nearby hand towel. “Yes, he’s climbing over the rails. But he’s only done it two, three times.” While she talked she grabbed her mug and poured herself another cup of coffee. When she faced Monica, the woman gave her a skeptical look.   
  
“Three times seems significant, Dana.”  
  
Dana took a sip of her coffee. “I just don’t think he is ready to be in a regular bed with nothing to keep him there. Or something to explicitly suggest he stay in bed. In a regular bed he’s likely to get up and start wandering around. I know it’s not safe for him to be climbing out of his current bed, but it’s also not safe to have him potentially wandering around the house in the middle of the night.”  
  
“True. But the baby gates are still up. He’s always been really good about them. I think, if he did get up, he’d only get as far as the gate, which means the hallway.”  
  
“I’d rather not be woken up in the middle of the night from the sounds of him banging on the gate.”  
  
Monica sighed. “I don’t know, Dana. I think it’s worth considering. He may have just turned two, but he can’t stay in that crib forever; he is getting older. I think it may be time.”  
  
Dana was silent for a moment. “I don’t think it’s a good idea right now.” Dana’s tone was heavy with irritation. “I think it’s probably best if we lower his crib mattress so the rails are higher and harder to get over.” Monica started to say that they’d already done that once before, when he began standing and jumping in the bed. However, before she could get the words out Dana moved out of the kitchen and into the living room to sit on the couch with her newspaper, effectively ending the conversation.  
  
Monica was a bit surprised and confused as to why Dana ended the conversation so abruptly. She also didn’t understand why Dana was having such a negative reaction to something that seemed like a plausible solution to the problem, or why she seemed opposed to even entertaining the possibility like she was normally inclined to do.  
  
After watching Dana for a few seconds, Monica decided to let it go for the time being. Based on the other women’s somewhat sudden shift in behavior and mood, Monica got the sense there was something bothering Dana, something deeper than just the issue of the bed, but she couldn’t put her finger on what exactly. Dana clearly didn’t want to discuss it any further, and Monica knew her well enough to know when she shouldn’t force an issue, when she should just give Dana some space to think.   
  
Monica put her mug down on the counter and walked toward the stairs. “I’m going to grab a shower, but I’ll be back down in a bit.”  
  
“Okay,” Dana said flatly, not looking up from her newspaper.

* * *

  
After Monica’s shower, the two women decided to take the children to the nearby park. It wasn’t uncommon for there to be other kids that Emily and William knew at the park, whether they be school or daycare friends, or friends they’d made from previous park trips. So, sure enough, when they arrived both of the children had friends to play with. Meanwhile, Monica noted Dana’s quiet mood, how the other woman didn’t talk much, and when she did it was only when it had to do with the kids.  
  
The family made their way back home around lunchtime. William was almost too tired out to eat, nodding off a few times between bites, and Emily giggled at the sight. Once his head met the table Monica knew his lunchtime was over. While she didn’t want him missing part of his lunch, Monica thought his exhaustion would at least make putting him down for his nap that much easier.   
  
Monica headed toward the stairs after putting William down for his nap, but stopped first at Emily’s room, where she found the little girl reading. “Hey, Em. Did you want to work on the puzzle while William’s asleep?” They’d learned that, if they didn’t want random puzzles pieces going missing, it was best to work on them when he was sleeping.  
  
“Mmm. I think I’m just going to read for awhile. I’m really close to the end. Right now the trio is stuck in a magical puzzle and I want to see how they get out.” Emily had really gotten into Harry Potter, and Monica was glad they’d gone ahead a bought the next book, given how fast the little girl was making it through the first installment.   
  
“Ooh. Well, I’ll let you get back to that.” She smiled, then left Emily’s room to go downstairs.  
  
Dana was sitting on the couch, reading one of her science papers for class. She looked up when she saw Monica enter.  
  
“Are you two going to work on your puzzle?”  
  
Monica sat down opposite Dana on the couch, grabbing her book off the side table. “Not today. Witches and magical puzzles took precedence.”  
  
Dana laughed lightly. “I’m not surprised. She’s been carrying that book all over the place the past few days. I was surprised that she didn’t take it with us to the park.”  
  
“I know!” Monica said with a chuckle.  
  
The two women fell into silence, both reading their respective texts. Monica was a bit distracted though, so after a few pages she closed her book. She was thinking over Dana’s quiet mood, and the fact that Dana had been giving off a tense vibe ever since their conversation that morning, and Monica, ever sensitive to the moods of others, especially Dana’s, was still pondering the source of the issue. She was beginning to think she knew the root cause, but decided it was time to find out for certain.  
  
“Dana, do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?” Monica asked gently.  
  
Dana looked up at Monica, confusion on her face. “What do you mean?”  
  
“Something’s been bothering you since this morning. I can feel it.”  
  
Monica saw an emotion she couldn’t name on Dana’s face, but it only lasted a split second, replaced by a forced blank expression. “I’m fine.” She tried to focus back on the paper she’d been reading, though her thoughts were clearly elsewhere.  
  
Monica continued. “You’ve been kind of quiet today. We haven’t really talked since this morning.”  
  
“We’ve been talking just fine. And we talked plenty with the kids at the park.”  
  
“That’s not what I mean, Dana.”  
  
Dana returned to her paper. “Monica, I’m fine.”  
  
Monica wasn’t convinced. She put her book down on the side table. Sliding closer to Dana, she reached over and gently pressed on Dana’s hand which held her paper, causing Dana to lower it.   
  
“Monica—”  
  
“Dana, honey, talk to me.”  
  
Dana let her hand fall into her lap and let out a deep sigh. She stared into the space in front of her for what felt like an eternity. Finally, her face relaxed, and she spoke.  
  
“It’s…kind of silly…Very silly, actually.”  
  
Monica remained silent, letting Dana take her time.  
  
Dana exhaled forcefully. “You brought up getting William a bed…To be honest, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. I’m not sure if he’s fully ready, but I agree that it’s worth a try, because his behavior is suggestive of the fact that he might be ready, from what I’ve read…The bed in itself isn’t even that big of a deal…I just…” Dana’s tone grew soft. “He’s growing up so fast. Which sounds cliché, I know. He’s only two…I never thought I’d be that parent. But, I don’t know. I guess I’m just not ready for it…” She took a long pause before speaking again. “We’ve all been through so much, and I spent so much time…we spent so much time… trying to protect him from very real threats. I know that is not the case anymore. That chapter is finally, mostly, closed. But I suppose in all of that, the thing that made it doable was that he was still a baby. My little baby that I could protect. But how will I protect him as he gets older?”  
  
Monica shifted closer and took Dana’s hand in hers, noting the glassiness of the redhead’s eyes.  
  
Dana continued. “I know we’ve talked about this before…I know that we have been able to protect him, raise him, and it’s been okay…I know I’ve done this before, with Emily. I was terrified that ’they’ would come for her, but I was able to protect her…I know that it was all okay. That it will probably continue to be okay. Logically I know this. But sometimes, emotionally…” She looked down at their interlaced fingers, letting out a long sigh.   
  
Monica didn’t need her to finish the sentence, and she suspected Dana knew as much. She had begun to suspect this was the cause of Dana’s mood. And it was true they’d had this conversation, or variations of it, a few times before. Monica was a little frustrated with herself for not identifying it sooner in the day. But then again, it was usually the little or mundane things regarding the children that tipped Dana over the edge into worry.   
  
Monica opened her mouth to reassure Dana, but the woman cut her off.  
  
“I know what you’re going to say. That it’s true that it will be okay, because I’ve done it before, that we’ve been doing it, and because we are dedicated and committed to keeping them safe; that it’s part of our jobs as parents, extraordinary circumstances or not.”  
  
Monica gave Dana a half smile. “That is along the lines of what I was going to say.” She squeezed Dana’s hand, then reached up with her other hand to cup Dana’s face. “You’ve done an amazing job with both of them, Dana. You’re their mother - as they continue to get older you will continue to protect them. You will be there for them in all the ways you can. So will I. I think they know that…” She caressed Dana’s cheek, then placed her hand on Dana’s thigh. “And if it makes you feel any better, William may possibly be ready for a big kid bed, but he’s still in diapers.”  
  
Dana let out a chuckle and gently shook her head before turning to look at Monica. Monica shrugged her shoulders and grinned, which made Dana smile. Monica brushed the loose hair out of Dana’s face and tucked it behind her ear. Dana still looked a little unsure, so she shifted backwards and leaned back against the pillows in the couch corner behind her. “Here, come lay down with me for a minute.”  
  
Dana placed her paper on the side table closest to her and followed Monica, laying down with her back toward Monica as the woman wrapped her arm around her. Dana admitted to her long ago that, in moments like this where her worry got the better of her, she found it helped to calm her when Monica held her. Monica was more than willing to oblige, loving the feeling of holding her, grateful that she was able to provide that for Dana.  
  
“You’re right.”  
  
Monica wasn’t exactly sure what Dana was referring to. “About what?”  
  
“William’s still in diapers. That is one thing I look forward to him growing out of.”  
  
“Mmhmm.” Monica hummed in agreement. “You and me both.”  
  
The two women fell into a comfortable silence, and eventually dozed off.

* * *

  
Both women were jolted awake by a loud crashing sound. Monica leaned up on her arm as Dana bolted upright. As they looked around they spotted Emily, standing motionless in the kitchen holding a cup in one hand. The expression on her face was a mix of shock and remorse. She’d dropped the bottle of apple juice and it had spilled all over the kitchen floor. Monica silently thanked whoever was listening that the bottle was plastic.   
  
Emily looked over at her mothers. “I’m sorry, moms.”  
  
“What happened?!” Dana asked the obvious, still a bit dazed from being startled awake. Once she visually assessed the situation she got up and walked through the kitchen to grab the mop from the laundry room.  
  
“I was trying to pour some juice and…it slipped.” Emily placed her cup down on the island and attempted to move out of the juice puddle in which she was standing.  
  
“Don’t move. You’ve got juice all over your socks and I don’t want you to track it everywhere.” Dana walked over and began to mop up around Emily. Monica moved to help her by grabbing some hand towels, at the same moment they heard yelling from upstairs.  
  
“Mommy!! Mamá!…Mamaaaaaaaa!”  
  
Dana looked at her watch and sighed. “Someone is up early from their nap.” Dana turned to Monica. “I can take care of this if you can grab him, before he starts scaling rails again.”  
  
Monica nodded. “Sounds good. But first—” She turned to Emily and laid one of the towels in front of her. “Take off your socks, step onto the towel, and walk out of the juice. Then you can help Mom clean up, okay?”  
  
Emily nodded as she took off a sock and stepped onto the towel.  
  
Monica made her way upstairs to get William out of bed. By the time she made it to his room she found him halfway over the crib railing. She tilted her head back slightly and sighed.   
  
The remainder of the afternoon passed by as it had started. William was cranky and irritable given he’d only slept for half of his usual nap time. His mood made for strained interactions with his sister, and after an hour or so of tantrums and bickering, Emily, who was normally quite patient with her little brother, just wanted to be left alone and went to her room. Monica and Dana tried to redirect his restless energy into various activities, but the endeavor ended in frustration, another tantrum, and a time out.   
  
Dana, while giving off a vibe that was less tense compared to that morning, was still somewhat in her head. Monica wasn’t entirely surprised by this, given how internal Dana was, especially when it came to processing her emotions; she typically needed a few hours. But, the tantrums and bickering hadn’t helped.  
  
Needless to say, by the evening everyone was a bit out of sorts and tired. Dana made a quick and simple dinner, and Monica cleaned up afterward. While putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher Monica had an idea to hopefully help everyone reach some calm.  
  
As Monica made her way into the living room she could faintly hear Dana upstairs with William, presumably getting him into his pajamas. She went upstairs to his room and walked over to Dana.  
  
“How do you feel about turning this into a movie night?”  
  
Dana slipped the pajama shirt over William’s head, much to his annoyance as he struggled against her. “Sounds fine to me, I suppose.”  
  
Monica kissed Dana’s temple. “Alright. I’ll see you downstairs shortly, then.” She then went to their room and changed into something a bit more comfortable.   
  
Monica made her way back downstairs to find Emily on the floor playing with her Rubik’s cube.   
  
“Hey, Em. I think we’re going to watch a movie. Why don’t you go put on your pajamas and bring a blanket down.”  
  
Emily perked up. “Ooh! What are we going to watch?”  
  
“It’s a surprise.”  
  
“Hmm…okay. I trust you’ll pick a good one.” Emily said as she got up from the floor and walked upstairs.  
  
Monica raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to reply, but didn’t have words before Emily disappeared from sight. She swore that with every day that passed, the little girl sounded less and less like an eight-year-old. Monica chuckled to herself as she began putting away William’s toys that were all over the floor. She then made her way over to their movie collection. She picked an animated movie that she knew both Emily and William liked, and one Dana could tolerate. Dana was notorious for either losing patience with kids movies and would either get up to do something, start reading, or fall asleep. It happened every time, without fail.    
  
While setting up the movie she heard Dana coming downstairs, and looked over to see the woman carrying William, baby blanket in his hands. She was glad to see Dana had changed out of her jeans and into pajama pants. Dana put William down when they got to the bottom of the stairs and he carried his blanket over to his toy baskets, where he proceeded to pull out the toys Monica had just put away.   
  
Once Emily made it downstairs with her blanket Monica dimmed the lights, and they all got situated on the sectional couch.   
  
Monica sat on the regular couch portion. “I’ll leave the chaise portion for you, Dana, since you like to stretch out when you sleep,” Monica said with a wink.  
  
Dana scoffed. “I am not going to fall asleep. That was only one time.”  
  
“You always fall asleep, Mom,” Emily chimed in.  
  
Dana reached over to tickle Emily. “I do not.” Emily laughed and scooted underneath Monica’s arm in an attempt to get away. William scrambled up onto the couch and sat in-between Emily and Dana, bringing along his favorite stuffed animal and a toy car.  
  
Monica picked up the remote. “Alright, everyone situated?” After everyone, minus William, nodded their agreement she started the movie. William got off and on the couch a few times, but eventually settled down as he got invested in the movie. After about an hour, Monica noticed that he’d become rather still and quiet, and saw that he’d fallen asleep, half across Dana’s lap. Looking up at Dana she saw that she’d succumbed to the same fate, and was indeed stretched out along the chaise. She smiled at the sight. Emily, for her part, was still hanging in there. She was tucked underneath Monica’s arm, legs pulled somewhat under her as she leaned into Monica. But, as the movie neared it’s end the woman felt the heavy weight of a sleeping child on her. When she looked down she saw that the little girl had, indeed, fallen asleep.   
  
All according to plan. Monica knew this would happen, especially after the afternoon they’d had. Granted, she hadn’t wanted Dana to fall asleep, but knew this was a possible outcome, so was therefore accepting of the fact. It always amused her that she was always the last one awake. She was more of a night owl compared to Dana. Not that it was especially late, but Dana was definitely the early to rise, early to bed type. Emily sometimes stayed up and made it through movies, but Dana and William always fell asleep. And, in William’s case, given his short nap, she knew he’d fall asleep in no time, making bedtime swift, easy, and early.  
  
Monica let the movie play out, not wanting the sudden stopping to disrupt Emily since she hadn’t been asleep that long. When the movie did end, she flipped around the cable channels for a few minutes until she settled on something worth watching. After a few minutes she got up the energy to slip out from under Emily, then lifted her up and carried her to bed.   
  
The little girl woke up partially when they made it upstairs. “I fell asleep.”  
  
“That you did.” Monica placed her in the bed and tucked her in, placing a kiss on her forehead. “Good night. Sweet dreams, mija.”  
  
“Goodnight, Mama.”  
  
Monica closed Emily’s door, then made her way back downstairs and over to the couch, where she slowly lifted William up from his awkward position half on Dana’s lap. Dana woke suddenly from the loss of weight on her lap, then relaxed when she saw Monica holding William. Monica carried him upstairs and put him into bed, placing a kiss on his forehead as well.   
  
When Monica walked back downstairs she found Dana sitting more upright against the back of the couch, smiling bashfully. Like mother, like son, Monica thought.  
  
“Looks like I fell asleep.”  
  
“That you did. But you weren’t the only one.” Monica walked over and sat down facing Dana, pulling her legs up underneath her and resting her elbow on the back of the couch as she propped her head in her hand.    
  
“Clearly. I feel like you’re the only one in this house that actually gets to see the end of movies.”   
  
“I think that’s true. But I also get to see how cute and sweet you all look when you’re sleeping.”  
  
“Mmm,” Dana hummed in response. “Was that your intent this evening? To get us all to fall asleep?”  
  
“Well, the kids, yes. Mr. Crankypants especially. You, not so much. I was just hoping to provide you with some calm.”  
  
Dana looked at her with a warmth in her eyes, and smiled sincerely. “Thank you.”  
  
Monica looked into her eyes for a moment, with a bit of concern. “How are you feeling?”  
  
Dana thought for a moment. “Compared to earlier? For the most part I feel better…The conversation helped. I think I just need to trust that things will be alright as the kids get older…”  
  
Monica continued to look into Dana’s eyes with intensity, trying to identify any doubt.  
  
“You know what else would make me feel better?”  
  
Monica’s gaze shifted to one of curiosity. “What?”  
  
Dana reached over and took Monica’s free hand, pulling her closer. Once she was close enough Dana leaned forward and placed a kiss on Monica’s lips. It was a sweet kiss, closed-mouth and gentle, but before long it grew more passionate as Monica opened her mouth to Dana’s wandering tongue. Once the need for air became overpowering Monica pulled back slowly to catch her breath as Dana did the same. Monica noted the growing intensity, the desire in Dana’s eyes. She knew Dana could see the same reflected back at her.  
  
“Rain checks,” was all Dana said, her voice low. She closed the distance between them and they resumed kissing, more heatedly than before. After awhile Monica shifted closer and swung her leg over Dana’s lap, straddling her, not once breaking the kiss. She reached up to cup Dana’s face, as the woman brought her hands to Monica’s back, pulling her close. Dana then moved her hands underneath the hem of Monica’s shirt to feel along her back. Monica felt Dana’s hands trailing up and down her lower back before Dana lightly gripped her waist.  
  
Monica whispered against Dana’s lips. “I don’t think anyone will interrupt us this time.”  
  
“What about Emily’s door?” Dana asked.  
  
“I closed it earlier.” She kissed her again.  
  
Dana leaned back to search Monica’s face with a raised eyebrow. “Was that—“  
  
“Part of the plan?” Monica gave a sly grin, then leaned in and began kissing along Dana’s jaw toward her neck. “Mmhmm,” she hummed against her pulse point as Dana shivered lightly and moaned.   
  
Better than planned, Monica thought to herself. Much better.


End file.
